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Friday, February 13, 2015

Day 28 - Decided to go to Joshua Tree

I left my overnight desert spot and went to McDonalds in Blythe on the other side of the river in California as I did yesterday. After I got there I decided to change my plans when I contemplated going back to the desert to hang out for the day by myself.

Although having some solitude yesterday in the desert was interesting and a nice change I was bored and just didn't want to sit by myself a second day - all day.

What also helped with my decision was that I had a 9.5 hour drive tomorrow without stops to Monterey and moving in that sueection today would help with the drivebtomorrow,

With a decision to do something different today it didn't come to me until I was driving around Blythe to check it out. Being on the Colorado River it is flat and has many farms as seen in the picture above.

Then it came to me to go to Joshua Tree for the day and then put a few more miles on before stopping for the night.

When I entered Jodhua Tree all I had to do is show my Senior Natiobal Oark a pass to get in. That saved $15 today.

I stopped at a number of sites sling the drive. This is the Cholla Cactus Garden,

Coming in from the south this is the first Joshua Tree I saw.

I made lunch at this rock formation.

I had the picnic area all to myself.

While eating lunch I caught this woodpecker working on this Joshua Tree.

A lot more scenery before leaving the park.

As I made my way to i10 from 29 Palms I could see a lot of windmills in the pass that leads west to LA.

I decided to settle for the night near the highway (I10) at a casino. Before heading there I walked around this very large outlet mall with lots of tourists

When I was done I went to the casino and played slots and had an ice cream before turning in for the night.

About Me

I retired from as
Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the Town of Westminster in
2014.Growing up I became an on-call
firefighter and continued in the Fire Department while I kept a full-time
career in high tech, eventually becoming the full-time Fire Chief in 1998, with
the downturn in the tech sector.

I have been
fortunate to have had many wonderful experiences working in the private sector
before my full-time employment before becoming Fire Chief/EMD. This
included being an Electronic Technician, and Manufacturing engineer for Bowmar/ALI,
Inc. Leominster/Acton MA, National Service Manager for Bruel and Kjaer
Instruments, Inc., Marlborough, MA, and Engineering Coordinator,
Manufacturing Project Manager, Group Manager, and Program Manager for Digital
Equipment Corporation/Compaq Computer Corporation, various locations in MA&
NH.

I continue to
teach Fire Science Degree Programs at Mount Wachusett Community College,
Gardner, MA, where I have been an Adjunct Professor since 2000.

I have received
degrees at the following institutions:

Lesley College; Masters of
Science in Management, January 1984

Fitchburg State College; Bachelor of Science in History, June 1979

Mount
Wachusett Community College; Associate in Electronic Engineering, June 1977.